Tag: Sanders

Apr 19, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders during the spring game at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Colorado coach Deion Sanders: ‘Everything is OK’

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Colorado coach Deion Sanders declared “everything is OK and will continue to be so” in a socal media statement responding to concerns about a possible health issue.

Sanders did not appear at a scheduled speaking engagement and was away from the Boulder campus at his Texas estate according to one of his sons, Deion Sanders Jr.

“Wow, I am truly blessed for the abundance of well wishes, for all the thoughts and all of the prayers,” Deion Sanders wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Thank you Thank you Thank you! I can assure you all that everything is OK and will continue to be so. God got me like no other. I have so much more work to do to Glorify God so please believe God got me! I’m excited to get back to Colorado to be at home with my staff, team & all associated to our program. When we arrive back to Boulder you will be updated on everything.”

Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Deion Sanders Jr. had no details to provide when requests were made for comment this week.

“Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on,” Shedeur Sanders said at Browns minicamp. “I’m here not to talk about Pops and them. I’m here [to be] quarterback of the Cleveland Browns.”

Deion Sanders Jr. said in a YouTube stream that he’d let his father update the details.

Deion Sanders required multiple surgeries for persistent blood clots in recent years. He had two toes amputated in 2021 to address clotting issues.

–Field Level Media

Apr 19, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders during the spring game at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Reports: Colorado’s Deion Sanders has unspecified illness

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders is at his home in Texas dealing with an “unspecified health issue,” ESPN reported Tuesday.

Sanders, 57, was away from campus as the school’s annual summer football camps began last week, according to USA Today.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer’s oldest son, Deion Sanders Jr., said his father was “feeling well” in a livestream on YouTube Sunday, but there is no timetable for his return.

“He’ll tell y’all soon enough what he’s going through, what he went through,” Deion Jr. stated, according to USA Today. “When we get back to Boulder? I don’t know. I’m waiting until my dad leaves. When he leaves, then I’ll go. Until then, I’m going to sit here with him.”

Colorado opens the season at home against Georgia Tech on Aug. 29.

The Buffaloes finished 9-4 (7-2 Big 12) in Sanders’ second season in 2024 but lost two of their most high-profile players — Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and quarterback (and coach’s son) Shedeur Sanders — to the 2025 NFL Draft.

Deion Sanders has dealt with health problems in the recent past. He had two toes amputated in 2022 due to blood clots and also missed the Pac-12 media day in 2023 because of blood clots in his legs.

Sanders had been scheduled to speak last weekend at a medical conference in Florida but had to cancel.

“Due to an unavoidable last-minute scheduling change, our originally scheduled Foundation Keynote Speaker, Deion Sanders ‘Coach Prime,’ is unable to attend. We are grateful for his support and look forward to future opportunities to welcome him,” the Foundation for Sickle Cell Disease Research posted on X.

–Field Level Media

May 28, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) during OTAs at NovaCare Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Eagles’ Saquon Barkley: Retirement could come ‘out of nowhere’

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is coming off a career year, complete with an NFL rushing title, a Super Bowl championship and even the cover of the “Madden 26” video game.

That said, Barkley raised a few eyebrows recently when he revealed his retirement plan is similar to that of Hall of Famer Barry Sanders.

“I’ll probably be one of those guys that it’ll be out of nowhere. I’ll probably just wake up one day, whether it’s next year or two years or four years, and just be like, ‘Yeah, it’s over,’” Barkley said on Chris Long’s Green Light podcast.

“… My favorite player of all time is Barry Sanders, so probably similar to that. Maybe one day, it’ll be out of nowhere — I’ll be balling and be like, yeah, call it quits.”

Barkley, 28, is three years younger than Sanders was when the Detroit Lions legend opted to retire on the eve of training camp in 1999. Sanders was coming off his 10th straight 1,000-yard season when he made the shocking announcement.

Barkley is the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year after he led the league with 345 carries for 2,005 yards while scoring 13 touchdowns in 16 regular-season games (all starts). He also caught 33 passes for 278 yards and two TDs.

He rushed 91 more times in four playoff games for 499 yards and five TDs, giving him a combined single-season record of 2,504 yards to pass Terrell Davis.

Barkley has rushed 1,546 times for 7,216 yards and 48 TDs and caught 321 passes for 2,378 yards and 14 scores in 90 career games (all starts) for the New York Giants (2018-23) and Eagles.

The Giants selected him second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Penn State.

–Field Level Media

Apr 25, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; A graphic announcing Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ selection by the Cleveland Browns with the 144th overall pick is seen in the Draft Theater during the third day of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Tork Mason/USA Today Network via Imagn Images

NFL fines Falcons, Jeff Ulbrich total of $350K for Shedeur prank

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A prank call to Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders during the 2025 NFL Draft cost the Atlanta Falcons $250,000 and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was fined $100,000 by the league for his 21-year-old son’s “tremendous mistake.”

The NFL fined the Falcons for allowing Sanders’ private information — his cell phone number — to be leaked, and Ulbrich for his failed oversight of a tablet his son used to swipe the information and make the prank call on Friday, when the second and third round were completed.

Jax Ulbrich apologized in a statement for making the call to Sanders. He dialed Sanders while the son of former Falcons cornerback Deion Sanders waited anxiously for his name to be called and in the midst of an unexpected fall out of the top four rounds.

Jax Ulbrich pretended to be Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and initially told Sanders he would be the Saints’ next pick only to tell Sanders was going to have to keep waiting.

“It’s been a long wait, man,” the voice of Jax Ulbrich was captured saying to Sanders in a video of the call. “We’re going to take you with our next pick, man, but you’re going to have to wait a little bit longer, man. Sorry about that.”

When the pick never came, Sanders remained undrafted into the fifth round and was selected by the Cleveland Browns with pick No. 144.

He said in a media teleconference the prank call had no impact on him.

“It was just like, I mean, OK, like I don’t feed into negativity or I don’t feed into that stuff,” Sanders said. “You’ve seen on Deion Jr.’s YouTube video. My reaction to it, I don’t — it is what it is. I think of course it is childish. Of course, I feel like it was a childish act, but everybody does childish things here and there.”

Jax Ulbrich said he used his father’s unlocked iPad to retrieve Sanders’ information. In a statement, Jax Ulbrich said his actions were “completely inexcusable” and thanked Sanders for taking a second call from him to apologize.

The NFL said it opened an immediate investigation and handed down the punishment on Wednesday, a sum nearly equal to the total of the signing bonus received by Austin Booker (Bears), the 144th pick in the 2024 draft. Booker’s four-year contract included a $349,140 signing bonus.

“We appreciate the NFL’s swift and thorough review of last week’s data exposure and the event that transpired due to it,” the Falcons said Wednesday in a formal statement after the league handed down the fine. “We were proactive in addressing the situation internally and cooperated fully with the league throughout the process, and accept the discipline levied to Coach Jeff Ulbrich and the organization. We are confident in our security policies and practices and will continue to emphasize adherence to them with our staff whether on or off premises. Additionally, the Ulbrich family is working with the organization to participate in community service initiatives in relation to last week’s matter.”

Jeff Ulbrich was interim head coach of the New York Jets at the end of last season and played linebacker in the NFL.

He was hired in January by Falcons head coach Raheem Morris to become defensive coordinator, replacing Jimmy Lake.

Before the Colts used the No. 14 overall pick to draft Penn State’s Tyler Warren, he said he was also victim of a prank call. According to reports, the league was informed of Browns first-round pick Mason Graham, Steelers quarterback Kyle McCord and other prospects receiving similar calls while waiting to be drafted.

–Field Level Media

Nov 9, 2024; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Colorado Buffalos quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) passes against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the first half at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

Shedeur Sanders’ odds of being Browns’ QB1 higher than Dillon Gabriel’s

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry said drafting two quarterbacks “wasn’t necessarily the plan” entering last weekend, but he generated the most compelling QB battle ahead of the 2025 season by doing exactly that.

The Browns accepted the intense spotlight that came with selecting Colorado’s record-setting quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round. That was 50 picks after making Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel the fifth quarterback off the board in the third round.

The rookies joined a crowded depth chart alongside veterans Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Deshaun Watson.

Watson is in the equation by name only. He’s expected to miss the 2025 season following a second Achilles injury, and Browns owner Jimmy Haslam recently acknowledged Watson’s acquisition three years ago as a “big swing and miss.”

So out of the four remaining quarterbacks, which one is best positioned to be under center when Cleveland kicks off its 2025 regular season?

DraftKings installed Pickett as the -110 favorite. The former first-round pick by Pittsburgh was acquired from Philadelphia earlier this offseason. He has 25 career starts, including one last year, and is still only 26 years old.

That’s 14 years younger than Joe Flacco, who was signed a few weeks before the draft as somewhat of an insurance policy. He played last season in Indianapolis after coming off his couch to guide Cleveland to the playoffs in the 2023 season.

However, Flacco was installed as a +1500 longshot to open Week 1 as the Browns’ starter following the draft.

Of more intrigue is that the sportsbook is offering far shorter odds on Sanders (+175) than Gabriel (+475) to start the opener.

Both enter the NFL with a wealth of experience at the college level.

Sanders, 23, was the sixth quarterback off the board despite being named a second-team All-American last season. He also had his jersey retired — someone controversially — by Colorado after finishing his college career by completing 70.1 percent of his passes for 14,347 yards, 134 touchdowns and just 27 interceptions in 50 games at Jackson State and Colorado.

Gabriel, who is a year older at 24, led Oregon to the College Football Playoffs last year after his own statistically packed time at Oklahoma. In all, he left college with 18,722 passing yards and an FBS/Division I-A record 155 touchdowns across six seasons with UCF (three), Oklahoma (two) and Oregon.

But the Browns did think enough of Sanders to trade the 166th and 192nd overall picks to move up to halt his unexpected freefall with the 144th pick.

How Cleveland establishes the pecking order — and the plan — for its quarterback competition entering training camp promises to be one of the offseason’s juiciest storylines.

“Obviously, you may not divide (training camp reps) 25, 25, 25, 25, but we feel really confident that we’ll have a plan that is fair to each player and fair to the team as well,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said.

–Field Level Media

Apr 25, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; A graphic announcing Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ selection by the Cleveland Browns with the 144th overall pick is seen in the Draft Theater during the third day of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Tork Mason/USA Today Network via Imagn Images

Shedeur Sanders’ draft plummet drives massive TV ratings

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Shedeur Sanders’ dramatic drop contributed to a massive television ratings boost for the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Colorado quarterback, a projected top-five pick, eventually plummeted all the way to the fifth round.

Friday night’s coverage of the second and third rounds averaged 7.4 million viewers, up 40 percent from 2024 according to Nielsen’s fast national numbers.

That ranks second all-time for Day 2 draft coverage behind the 8.2 million viewers in 2020. The 2020 draft was an outlier, however, as it occurred amid the COVID-19 pandemic and was one of the few live sports telecasts in weeks.

Figures for the individual networks (ABC, ESPN2 and NFL Network) were not immediately available.

The 40-percent boost for Day 2 came after Thursday’s first-round coverage saw an 11-percent jump over 2024.

The Cleveland Browns ended Sanders’ long wait on Saturday, trading up to take the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year with the 144th overall pick.

The three-day draft drew 600,000 fans to Green Bay, second only to the 775,000 in downtown Detroit in 2024.

–Field Level Media

President Donald J. Trump addresses the graduates of the Class of 2020 during the commencement ceremony on the Plain at West Point.

President Trump rips NFL teams for passing on Shedeur Sanders

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President Donald Trump called NFL owners “stupid” for not selecting Shedeur Sanders in the first round of the draft — and that was before the Colorado quarterback went undrafted in the second and third rounds, too.

In a post Friday on the Truth Social platform, Trump wrote, “What is wrong with NFL owners, are they STUPID? Deion Sanders was a great college football player, and was even greater in the NFL. He’s also a very good coach, streetwise and smart! Therefore, Shedeur, his quarterback son, has PHENOMENAL GENES, and is all set for Greatness. He should be ‘picked’ IMMEDIATELY by a team that wants to WIN. Good luck Shedeur, and say hello to your wonderful father!”

Two quarterbacks were selected in the first round of the draft on Thursday in Green Bay, Wis.: The Tennessee Titans selected Miami’s Cam Ward went No. 1 overall, and the New York Giants traded up to pick Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart at No. 25.

Just one QB came off the board in the second round on Friday, when the New Orleans Saints chose Louisville’s Tyler Shough at No. 40 overall.

In the third round, the Seattle Seahawks picked Alabama’s Jalen Milroe at No. 90 overall, and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel went to the Cleveland Browns two picks later.

Sanders led the country with a 74 percent completion rate last season while guiding the Buffaloes to a 9-4 record. He threw for 4,134 yards with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Trump has some experience regarding pro football. He owned the USFL’s New Jersey Generals in the 1980s.

–Field Level Media

Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough during Pro Day at the UofL Football's Trager Indoor Practice Facility Tuesday, March 25, 2025.

Saints draft QB Tyler Shough as Shedeur Sanders’ wait continues

Posted on | by Field Level Media

GREEN BAY, Wis. — There was only one quarterback taken in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday, and it wasn’t Shedeur Sanders.

While Sanders’ draft stock continued to plummet, the New Orleans Saints took Louisville’s Tyler Shough at No. 40 overall. The 25-year-old Shough, whose career has been plagued by injuries, spent seven seasons in college. He played three years at Oregon, then three at Texas Tech.

Shough stayed healthy with the Cardinals last season, passing for 3,195 yards and 23 touchdowns with six interceptions.

“I’ve obviously been around and seen a lot of ball and started a lot of games, but getting a full season and being able to showcase what I can do was my main goal,” Shough said, after he was drafted, of the opportunity at Louisville.

Saints starting quarterback Derek Carr has a shoulder injury and his status is uncertain. Backup Spencer Rattler threw for 1,317 yards last season in seven games but went 0-6 as a starter.

Miami quarterback Cam Ward was first overall pick by the Tennessee Titans and Old Miss QB Jaxson Dart was the only other signal-caller selected in the first round, going to the New York Giants at No. 25.

Defensive linemen were the focal point in the second round, with nine taken. There also were five defensive backs and five offensive linemen selected. Three running backs were taken, including Ohio State’s national championship tandem of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson.

The Cleveland Browns had two of the first five picks in the second round. They moved to further bolster their defense, taking UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger with the first pick of the second round after selecting Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham with the fifth overall pick on Thursday.

Judkins was the first running back taken in the second round, going to Cleveland at No. 36. Judkins ran for 1,060 yards and 14 touchdowns last season after transferring from Ole Miss.

Henderson was tabbed two picks later by the New England Patriots. He ran for 3,761 yards and 42 touchdowns in his four seasons with the Buckeyes, and he also had 77 receptions.

Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins was the second pick in the second round, chosen by the Houston Texans. Higgins had 87 receptions for 1,183 yards with nine touchdowns last season.

The Chicago Bears tabbed Missouri’s Luther Burden III at No. 39. Burden was considered a possible first-round pick after his junior season in 2023, when he had 86 catches for 1,212 yards, but his numbers dropped to 61 receptions for 676 yards last year.

The other two wideouts taken in the second round: Ole Miss’s Tre Harris went to the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 55, and TCU’s Jake Bech was chosen by the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 58.

LSU tight end Mason Taylor, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, was taken with the 42nd pick by the New York Jets.

–Jim Hoehn, Field Level Media

Wide Receiver Matthew Golden of Texas poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and President and CEO of the Green Bay Packers Mark Murphy after being selected twenty-third overall pick by the Green Bay Packers during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field on April 24, 2025 in Green Bay.

Analysis: 3 winners, 3 losers from first round of NFL Draft

Posted on | by Field Level Media

One round out of seven is complete at the 2025 NFL Draft, so it’s far too soon to hand out draft grades. There will be steals aplenty on Friday and Saturday, and even more future busts.

That said, Thursday packed plenty of punch in the first 32 picks. Who were the winners and losers of Round 1? Here are three nominees for each:

Winner: The Jaguars (and Trevor Lawrence)

It’s a new day in Duval County. The franchise has been stuck in the mud and is moving on to Lawrence’s third full-time head coach in five years. So new GM James Gladstone sent a big package to Cleveland, moved up three spots to No. 2 and snagged Heisman winner Travis Hunter, who plans to play both wide receiver and cornerback in the pros. (Would Trent Baalke have made that move?) Hunter and Brian Thomas Jr. should make a terrific receiving tandem for Lawrence.

Winner: Green Bay

The NFL probably doesn’t need to bring the draft to every city that has a franchise, but Green Bay was a standout choice for the history of the Packers and Lambeau Field. The Packers fans in attendance got to celebrate the unthinkable: their team drafting a wide receiver in the first round. Green Bay hadn’t done so since taking Javon Walker in 2002, mid-Brett Favre era. Speedster Matthew Golden of Texas could be Jordan Love’s No. 1 target this year.

Winner: The SEC

Although just one of the first six selections came from a Southeastern Conference school, it didn’t take long for the floodgates to open. The SEC ended the night with 15 first-round picks, nearly half of the first round, tying its own record set in 2020. Honestly, the 2020 mark was more impressive because the league hadn’t expanded to add Texas and Oklahoma yet. In the most predictable move of the night, the Philadelphia Eagles grabbed Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell at No. 31, adding to a defense that resembles an All-SEC first-team unit.

Loser: Shedeur Sanders

That quote that circulated this week from a veteran NFL assistant coach was an all-timer. “He’s so entitled.” “He blames teammates.” “He’s not that good.” But that quote wasn’t the reason Sanders dropped out of the first round. If anything, it may have been a window into an overall feeling around the league that Sanders wasn’t first-round worthy. The question becomes who will snap up Sanders on Day 2, and whether he stands a chance at a starting job in 2025.

Loser: Cowboys fans

Jerry Jones has a thing for offensive linemen named Tyler. The Cowboys’ owner and self-appointed general manager spent first-round picks on the left side of their offensive line in Tyler Smith (2022) and Tyler Guyton (2024). Now, Alabama’s Tyler Booker is headed to Dallas to play right guard. Most Cowboys fans would have preferred just about anything else with the No. 12 pick, very high for an interior lineman. For context, he’s replacing the retired Zack Martin — picked 16th overall in his draft.

Loser: Tommy DeVito

Wheel another chair into the New York Giants’ quarterback room. After taking edge rusher Abdul Carter third overall, the Giants traded back into the first round for a QB, passing over Sanders to pick Jaxson Dart from Ole Miss. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more confusing quarterback group than Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, Dart and DeVito. Barring injury, the local boy affectionately known as “Tommy Cutlets,” who made eight starts the past two years, doesn’t stand a chance of making the roster now.

–Field Level Media

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) with wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Buffs retiring jerseys of Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders

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Colorado is retiring the uniform numbers for Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders at the Buffaloes’ spring game on Saturday in Boulder, Colo.

The school announced its plans Monday to honor the No. 12 of Hunter, the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner, and the No. 2 of Sanders, the 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

Hunter, a wide receiver and cornerback, also won the Walter Camp Award and the AP and Sporting News player of the year honors. He finished his two seasons at Colorado with 153 receptions for 1,979 yards and 20 touchdowns. On defense, Hunter recorded seven interceptions and 16 passes defensed.

Sanders won the 2024 Johnny Unitas Award as college football’s best quarterback. In two seasons with Colorado, the son of Buffs coach Deion Sanders completed 71.8 percent of his passes for 7,364 yards with 64 touchdowns and just 13 interceptions in 24 games.

The four previous Colorado players to have their jersey numbers retired are: QB/halfback Byron White (No. 24); guard/linebacker Joe Romig (No. 67), QB/tailback Bobby Anderson (No. 11) and running back Rashaan Salaam (No. 19).

–Field Level Media